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A Flash of Light on the Lake
A Flash of Light on the Lake (湖上の閃光) is a full-length tankobon-original story by Fujio Akatsuka, released through Akebono Publishing on August 25, 1956. Overview Although the story is unrelated to the events of Beyond the Storm, it can be said to be the second in a sort of "Midori Trilogy" as it features the protagonist Midori in a new role and setting. While Beyond the Storm dealt with human tragedies, this tale revolves around a mystery involving the cases of young women disappearing near a lake, and Midori and her friends' drive to investigate the case and find out what's happened to them. Ultimately, there is a science fiction edge to the story as the antagonist is revealed to be a mad scientist with a spaceship that has been abducting girls. The character of Kunio is also recycled from Beyond the Storm as the male character that assists Midori in her search, while another boy named "Akira" shares an identical look to the other boy in the previous book. The credits to the opening page also list "Ishimori Pro" as having been involved to some extent in the plot. Characters Midori (ミドリ) Our protagonist, who leads the way in investigating the mysterious disappearances and the apparitions of "fireballs" that were glimpsed during them. Although she starts out with wearing a blouse and skirt, she soon switches to wearing pants for the rest of the plot, giving her a more tomboyish and practical image than the previous apparition of Midori. She is abducted by Dr. Kurokawa later on, along with Yo-chan and Yacchan, and winds up learning the secret behind all the mysteries going on. Yo-chan (ヨッちゃん) One of Midori's friends at school. She has braided hair, in the vein of Sumire from Beyond the Storm, as well as wearing a large hairbow in some parts of the plot. She and Yacchan argue over what could be causing the phenomena at the lake; Yo-chan believes it to be a weather occurrence while Yacchan believes the "rocket" involves aliens. Yo-chan is unconscious for most of the final stretch of the plot, while the other captives of Kurokawa hear the explanation of his plan. She wakes up, however, as the rocket prepares to blast off and Akira hurries all the girls out and off to safety out of the castle. Yasuko, "Yacchan" (ヤス子, ヤッちゃん) Midori's other friend from school, distinguished by her shorter hair and glasses (and being a possible evolution of Akiko from Storm). Akira (アキラ) A young man who has some favor for Midori, who she runs into in the woods while investigating. He and Kunio know that a "strange person" lives in the castle by the lake, though they are not entirely sure of their identity and figure it something to be looked into further. He is the one that makes the initial discovery of Kurokawa's lab when sneaking into the castle, where he finds that Kurokawa is the one behind the disappearances of young women. He gets into a physical fight with Kurokawa in the climax, and is assisted by Midori. Kunio (クニオ) The nerdy friend of Akira, who happens upon the castle with Akira during their investigation at the lake. He winds up sleeping out the rest of the case, but reunites with the others by the end. He is rather foolish, being shown to accidentally put his shirt on as pants in the end due to his drowsiness, to the humor of the rest. Dr. Kurokawa (黒川博士) An old mad scientist that built a rocket to Mars in his castle. As he deemed women to be superior in their ability to calmly pilot a ship throughout the universe, he opted to abduct whatever young women he could to make them his crew members for Mars. Ultimately, Kurokawa is driven out and leaves to Mars himself in his rocket. Yoshiko Yamada (山田芳子) The first young woman to go missing near the lake, which Midori reads an article about in the newspaper. She has short, curly hair with a large striped hairbow. She can also be seen in the initial opening page, though with a slightly different pattern to her bow. Yoshiko and another girl are seen among Kurokawa's captives when Akira discovers the laboratory, and successfully escape with him. Midori's Mother A housewife seen in the early stages of the plot. She and Midori discuss the strange occurrences being reported on in the newspaper. Midori's Father One of the investigators seen in the forest by the lake, who the girls meet up with while on their initial search. Chapters # "The First Case" (第一の事件) # "A Mysterious Forest" (ふしぎなもり) # "The Second Case" (第二の事件) # "An Unexpected Discovery" (思わぬ発見) # "The Third Case" (第三の事件) # "A Flash of Light on the Lake" (湖上の閃光) Category:Shōjo works Category:1950s works Category:Manga